Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-10-13
THE NORTHWEST
THE GEHTEIIIlI HISTORY Or OHIO.
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B1 w.YAhRASD TzIcH.

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John Heckewelder was born in Bed
ford, England, in l743, of German par
ents. He received an education for the
ministry and sailed for the New World.
On his arrival In the colonies he mani
tested a desire for frontier life, to educate
the Indian natives. With this motive
he left Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in
I782, with Rev. Christian Frederick
Post and in the usual time they reached
the waters Of the Muskingum or Tus-
carawas. A short residence satisfied
Heckewelder that he had come too ear
ly and, being, ,admonished that II he re-
manned he might lose his scalp, he re-
tired to Pennsylvania. Ten years later
he returned to the Tuscarawas with
Rev, David Reisberger and began set
tlement for their converted Indians
three miles southeast of the present
New Philadelphia called Schoenbrunn,
or Slime SPRING. Heckewelder then re-
turned to the East and, in 1773, came
back with about two hundred converted
indians with clothing, grain and imple-
ments. and they set about clearing the
land; so that by 1914 nearly fifty houses
and q church had been erected and many
acres of corn were growing. He after
wards assisted in establishing settle
ments at Gnadehutten, Lichtenan and
Salem, on the Tuscarawas, where they
raised corn and cattle and converted
the indians. During the Revolutionary
war, British emissaries visited these set
Elements and, through the influence of
Simon Girty and others, induced por-
ton of the Delawares, Muncies and
Shawnees to 90 to Detroit to aid the
British. The Christians Indians, how
ever, remained steadfast friends of the
colonies through the efforts of Heck
ewelder, Zeisberger and the other mis-
sionaries,. for they were forbidden to go
to war by the missionaries. The Indians
who had gone to Sandusky under Capt.
Pipe returned and harrassed the Chris
tian Indians and the white settlers
along the whole Ohio bottom. In 1889
they came down under the British flag,
captured and drove to Sandusky the
Christian Indians and sent the mission
aries to Detroit to be tried as spies.
They were acquitted twice, but still held
prisoners. The massacre of the Chris
tian Indians already mentioned oc-
Cured in 1882. This outrage drove the
residue of the converts into the British
hostile ranks. Heckewelder attempted
settlements in the Northwest and in
Canada, but returned to Pennsylvania
and soon took service under the FEEDER
al Government in assisting the Indian
treaties and in surveying the public
lands in the Tuscarawas and Musk.
ingum valleys. He visited Philadel-
phia and was instrumental in pr0cur-
ing grant from Congress of 300 acres
for the missions, to be located in what
is now Tuscarawas county. In 1855
Congress instructed Col. Harman, in
command at Fort Harmar, to invite
the Christian Indians back to the
grant; but the Indian chiefs, Half
King and Pipe, forbade them to return
under pain Of death. Heckewelder
visited Fort Harmar in 1889, where an
Indian treaty was made, but the valley
was for the time closed against the re-
turn of the converts. Zeisberger, how
ever, returned in 1898, after seventeen
years absence with the exiles. After
the return of peace, Heckewelder pro-
ceeded to Bethlehem and urged the
Indians to take up their
residence in the Valley. He had, how
ever, several years before ceased mis-
sioIary work. He died in 1858, aged
nearly eighty.
THE SEIGE OF FIT. LAURENs.
Half mile below Bolivar and near
the present place where the Rev. Fred
erick Post first located, are the remains
of, Ft. Laurens, erected in 1778 and
named from the President of the Rev
Congress. Tt was a scene of
border warfare, but the canal now
passes through its earthen walls, which
enclosed about an acre of ground. 1t
was built in 1878 bya detachment of one
men from Ft. Pitt under the
of Gen. Mcintosh. A garri-
son of one hundred and fifty men was
placed in it and the rest of the army re-
turned to Ft. Pitt. It was seventy
miles west of Ft. Mcintosh. So unex-
pected and rapid were the movements
Of Gen. Mcintosh that the Indians
were not aware of his presence in their
country until the fort was completed.
But with equal secrecy they rallied
their forces early in January, 1779, and
Invested the fort before the garrison
had notice of their approach. During
The siege, which continued till the last
Of February, the garrison became very
short of provisions. The Indians sus-
pected this and they were nearly starv-
Ing themselves. They proposed to the
garrison to give them barrel of -four
and some meat, and they would raise
The seige. The brave Col. Gibson
turned out the -four and meat and said
he could spare 1t well, as he had plenty
more. The Indians were completely
deceived and soon after raised the seige.
A runner was sent to Ft. Mcintosh to
tell of their distress and to request pro-
visions and reinforcements at once.
Gen. Mcintosh headed the caravan
himself, and it reached the fort in safe
ty, but the provisions came very near
being lost by the dispersion of the pack
horses in the woods near the fort. the
being occasioned by a salute
from the garrison in token of thankful
ness for deliverance. The fort was final
ly evacuated in August, l779 beng
found untenable at such a distance
from the frontiers.
THE EXPEDITION AGAINST WAKATONII-
CA IN THE YEAR 1774.
"The word Muskingum, y says Kill
bourn's Gazetteer, ''is said to signi-
" in the old Indian language AN elk's
eye, or the glare of an elk's eye.'n and
probably from the same source comes
The name Of the State, ''The Buckeye
State.u Col. John Johnson says, how
ever, that "Muskingum Is a Delaware
word and means a town by the river
side. The Shawanoese call it Wa-ka-